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Diet ::
The modifications made to your gastrointestinal tract will
require permanent changes in your eating habits that must be
adhered to for successful weight loss. Post-surgery dietary
guidelines will vary by surgeon. You may hear of other
patients who are given different guidelines following their
weight loss surgery. It is important to remember that every
surgeon does not perform the exact same weight loss surgery
procedure and that the dietary guidelines will be different
for each surgeon and each type of procedure. What is most
important is that you adhere strictly to your surgeon's
recommended guidelines. The following are some of the
generally accepted dietary guidelines a weight loss surgery
patient may encounter:
When you start eating solid food it is essential that you chew
thoroughly. You will not be able to eat steaks or other chunks
of meat if they are not ground or chewed thoroughly.
Don't drink fluids while eating. They will make you feel full
before you have consumed enough food.
Omit desserts and other items with sugar listed as one of the
first three ingredients.
Omit carbonated drinks, high-calorie nutritional supplements,
milk shakes, high-fat foods and foods with high fiber content.
Avoid alcohol.
Limit snacking between meals.
Going Back to Work
Your ability to resume pre-surgery levels of activity will
vary according to your physical condition, the nature of the
activity and the type of weight loss surgery you had. Many
patients return to full pre-surgery levels of activity within
six weeks of their procedure. Patients who have had a
minimally invasive procedure may be able to return to these
activities within a few weeks.
Birth Control & Pregnancy :
Since fertility may increase following weight loss, it is
strongly advised that women of childbearing age who elect to
have weight reduction operations use secure birth control
methods during the period of rapid weight loss. Maternal
malnutrition may impair normal fetal development. Women who
become pregnant after these surgical procedures need specific
attention.
Long-Term Follow-Up :
Although the short-term effects of weight loss surgery are
well understood, there are still questions to be answered
about the long-term effects on nutrition and body systems.
Nutritional deficiencies that occur over the course of many
years will need to be studied. Over time, you will need
periodic checks for anemia (low red blood cell count) and
Vitamin B12, folate and iron levels. Follow-up tests will
initially be conducted every three to six months or as needed,
and then every one to two years as needed.
Support Groups :
The widespread use of support groups has provided weight loss
surgery patients an excellent opportunity to discuss their
various personal and professional issues. Most learn, for
example, that weight loss surgery will not immediately resolve
existing emotional issues or heal the years of damage that
morbid obesity might have inflicted on their emotional
well-being. Most surgeons have support groups in place to
assist you with short-term and long-term questions and needs.
Most bariatric surgeons who frequently perform weight loss
surgery will tell you that ongoing post-surgical support helps
produce the greatest level of success for their patients.
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